Jamal Crawford pleasantly surprised with results, health

LOS ANGELES >> Clippers guard Jamal Crawford was all smiles at the Monday morning shoot-around ahead of the night’s game against the Milwuakee Bucks at Staples Center. No one could blame him because on Saturday, he played 32-plus minutes in a victory over the Detroit Pistons after having missed eight of the previous nine games with a strained left calf muscle.

Crawford sustained the injury Feb. 26 after playing 16 minutes against the Houston Rockets. He tried to come back March 8 against Atlanta, but he was done after 10 minutes because the injury was not healed.

It therefore made one wonder how Crawford’s calf would feel after playing so many minutes Saturday. He proclaimed himself fine and dandy.

“Good, good,” he said. “Actually, I think the day of rest (Sunday) was great and I feel good again today, so I’m excited to get back out there.”

Crawford admitted he was curious as to how he would respond to so much playing time.

“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “Not just the calf, but the wind and the legs and the rhythm. I mean, last game I really played, I think, was Feb. 26.”

Crawford, an integral part of this team, is averaging 18.5 points and the Clippers will likely need him to be completely back to his old self if they are to make a deep run in the playoffs. He wasn’t terrific Saturday, scoring just nine points on 4-of-13 shooting.

He half expected that.

“Oh, yeah, for sure,” he said. “I thought I would be lucky if I got five points, honestly. You’re playing against the best players in the world and it’s one thing to do it in practice, and that helps get your confidence going if you’re OK.

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“But to be out there is totally different. I knew it would be rough for me if I took three days off. I’m a creature of habit, so I try to always stay, you know, playing basketball. And with that injury, I couldn’t. I couldn’t get up and down the court.”

Rivers surprised

Head coach Doc Rivers was asked how stoked he was to hear that Crawford felt no ill effects of all those minutes he logged Saturday. He was surprised to hear just how many Crawford played.

“I didn’t know he played 32 minutes, that’s No. 1,” Rivers said, drawing laughter. “Yeah, he’s been good, though. I just think the two practices (Thursday and Friday) told us he was out of the woods. I guess you never are with that injury. That calf injury, it tends to linger. But he looks good.

“You can see he doesn’t have his timing yet, and so that’ll take a little bit. But overall, like his movements, he looked natural. He didn’t look like he was laboring at all.”

Even though Crawford scores so much, he prefers coming off the bench and will continue to do that most of the time. He’s started just 23 of the 62 games he’s played.

“How many guys with his ability say they’re good coming off the bench?” Rivers said. “Most guys don’t say that. Jamal does. He’s a great weapon for us coming off the bench.

“When we’re at full strength, it’s an easy decision to bring him off the bench. But when we’re not, especially if we go in the playoffs and we’re not, then it will be a game-by-game basis.”

On the road again

The Clippers, who entered play Monday 49-21 and in third place in the Western Conference behind San Antonio (53-16) and Oklahoma City (51-18), will hit the road for a five-game swing that will include stops in New Orleans (Wednesday), Dallas (Thursday), Houston (Saturday), Minnesota (next Monday) and Phoenix (April 2).